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5 Tips to Protect Your Little Pyromaniacs This 4th of July

The 4th of July is one of the most exciting holidays we celebrate in the year. In my mind, it ranks Christmas is first, Thanksgiving is second, and 4th of July is third. The 4th activities can range from taking your families to watch a beautiful, professional fireworks display in a park or going rural and lighting off your own fireworks show.

No matter what your plans are, many of our kids are little pyromaniacs and love the thrill of being given PERMISSION to play with fire! Their excitement can sometimes cause them to be a little unsafe with the tamest of explosives. To keep your kids safe this 4th of July, follow these five tips.

Never let your kids light and then throw fireworks. Even smoke bombs can explode early if they get wet. I watched it happen to one of my friends when I was a kid and she still has the scars.

Watch out for the “cute” fireworks shaped like tanks or cars. Once lit, they can zoom unexpectedly and shoot sparks on your child. Make sure if your child lights one, they stand very far back from the firework.

It’s tempting to run away from a firework once you have lit it. Tell your kids to instead speed walk away from them. They could trip and, not only scrape their knees, but stay too close to the firework as it goes off.

Tell your kids to stay far away from adults lighting off big fireworks. Then can wander too close and sneak up behind an adult as they are lighting a mortor, risking injury.

Sparklers are regarded as a kid’s firework, but improper handling of fireworks can cause burns. Children should hold sparklers at arm’s length and never light more than one at a time. They should also stay a safe distance away from other kids with sparklers. Once the sparkler is done burning, have your kids place them in a bucket of water to cool them off. The metal of the sparklers stays hot for a long time after burning out.

There is definitely reason to be cautious. Children account for 30 percent of fireworks-related burns and injuries each year. This means an estimated 1,900 burns occur with children every Fourth! Following these tips will help your family stay safe and enjoy this spectacular holiday.